Exumer : "Death Mask Messiah"

These German thrashers hit it hard from the Exodus school of gritty thrashing. They are not slaves to speed, as there are even more deliberate moments on the opening track, though thetest will behow therestof the album holds up. It is their first album in seven years, so they clearly had a great deal of pent-up energy that needed to be vented.  "Blinding Skies' is punchy but not as hooky as the first song. The sheer velocity of what they do might be enough to overwhelm the ears of some. The locomotive-plam muted chugging and snarling vocals find a uniformity taking over. 

The riffs get catchier on "Eradication," and the vocals seem to have more purpose. If you are looking for great guitar tones, they have plenty of those on this one. The drumsand guitars lock in with heavier intent for the aggressive pound of "Ravishing Waste,"  though once it gets into the verse it becomes a speed fest that feels rushed til the more Slayer -like chorus. "Allocated Savagery" is more typical thrash as it relies heavily on the frantic drumming. The vocals are spit out in a fashion that brings Exodus to mind once again. "Serpent" is powered by a more mosh-inducing riff. 

They are always sharply playing their rapid-fire homage to thrash, but some moments are more compelling than others. The lyrics do not help in this regard as they are playing off expected tropes. Some mean riffs shine through in places. "Scorcher" has so many of these riffs that it works in their favor. When they pour on the speed, it works against them, though this could be said for most bands as it tends tomake phrashing feel rushed. They close things with a more Pantera-like groove on "Unchained Angel". The only problem is they are not Pantera. They are great at what they do, so if you want some late-stage 80s-feeling thrash, they have you covered. I will give it an 8.5,Being released on Metal Blade Records.  

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